Confessions of a Tiger Cub
by ButterflyMeadow
Summary: An innocent question from Yukimura on a leisurely evening leads to a lot more than Masamune could have ever imagined. One-shot, rated T for cussing and fluffy yaoi. Pairing is DateSana/MasaYuki Date Masamune x Sanada Yukimura


**A/N: I'm obsessed with DateSana (or MasaYuki, if you prefer) and this plot bunny just wouldn't get out of my head, so I ended up writing this. I hope this little one-shot satisfies your DateSana cravings somewhat! x) This is actually my first yaoi/shounen-ai/boyxboy fanfic, so apologies if it sounds kinda weird ^^ Oh, and sorry for the lame title, I'm kind of trying to break out a writers block episode right now so my creative juices aren't really flowing :P**

**A note: Anything in italics which seems out of place while Masamune's Engrish :P**

**Dislcaimer: I don't own any of the characters or Sengoku Basara.**

**Confessions of a Tiger Cub**

**By Meerca aka ButterflyMeadow**

"Oh, Masamune-dono! I did not expect you to be here."

The aforementioned man turned his lone blue-gray eye to the young red-clad warrior in the open doorway. "Everyone needs a break from the _party_ once in a while."

"I . . . I see." Yukimura's brow furrowed at the foreign word; the One-Eyed Dragon of Oushuu, Date Masamune, used it often, yet he _still_ didn't know what it meant. He paused for a moment. "May I . . . may I accompany you, Masamune-dono? I mean, if you do not mind—"

Masamune snorted. "_Duh._ It's your own place. Why you askin' me?"

Yukimura's brown eyes widened a bit before chuckling sheepishly and sitting down next to the blue-clad warrior. "Yes, you are right. _Arigatou_, Masamune-dono."

The One-Eyed Dragon snorted again. There Yukimura was again, being pointlessly respectful. It was an odd characteristic that defined the young tiger cub, along with his sheer naivety that pained Masamune at times. How was it that a young man of his age, with a burning, fearless spirit that engulfed his opponents in passionate flames, was so damn _dense?_

Masamune glanced at the smiling warrior seated to his left, who seemed to be completely enthralled by a turquoise blue bird chirping in a tree, with his single eye. To think it was _he_, Sanada Genjirou Yukimura, whowould become the next Tiger of Kai. Masamune scoffed at the thought; the spear-wielding warrior had far too good of a heart when it came to people. The spirit was obviously there, but the attitude needed some roughening up.

The One-Eyed Dragon did admit, however, that he wouldn't want the young tiger cub to change. Yukimura's little quirks were, once you got used to them, rather endearing—Masamune would even go as far as to call them adorable.

The blue-clad warrior didn't know when he'd fallen for his rival, and he didn't really dwell on or fret about it either. There was no doubt that there had been attraction between the two, though not of the romantic kind initially; two young men with such strength and such pure fighting spirits were destined to clash. Otherwise, the two seemed to fit the cliché 'opposites attract' perfectly—azure and crimson, cunning and naïve, crude and polite. That same cliché seemed to be the reasoning behind Masamune's feelings.

". . . Masamune-dono?"

The One-Eyed Dragon blinked out of his thoughts, unnerved when he noted Yukimura's curious gaze. "What?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"You just did." The blue-clad warrior sighed in annoyance as his red-clad counterpart meekly fell silent. "_Idiot_.Just spit it out."

Yukimura glanced at Masamune before dropping his gaze to his fidgeting hands. "Um . . . wh-what is love, Masamune-dono?"

Masamune raised an eyebrow in surprise. Now what had brought that particular question about? And from _Yukimura_, of all people? Then again, the sword-wielding warrior mused, his counterpart likely _was_ the only one innocent enough to ask it. Masamune decided to humor the young tiger cub.

"Love, _huh?_ Well . . . there isn't really a clear-cut meaning—it's kinda different for everybody, but . . . I guess it's when there's some person you really wanna be with, for the rest of your life. You wanna do everythin' with 'em, always be by their side, throw _parties_ for them all the time, hug 'em and do other sappy crap like that . . ." Masamune shrugged. "I've never loved anyone, so I wouldn't know." Which was kind of a lie, but still kind of true.

Yukimura's brown eyes were wide as he drank in every word. "A-ah, I see . . ."

He grew quiet, as if in deep thought, and Masamune didn't fail to notice the pink dusting his cheeks. "Why'd ya ask?" The One-Eyed Dragon snickered as the tiger cub's blush darkened and he nudged the flustered young man's arm with his elbow. "Looks like you're gettin' ready for one helluva _party! _Who's the lucky lady, Sanada?"

Yukimura refused to meet Masamune's eye as he shook his head vigorously. "N-no . . ."

"No what?"

"No, not a . . ." At this rate, the spear-wielding young man was going to be redder than his crimson weapons. His response was so quiet Masamune almost missed it. "N-not a lady . . ."

Well, shit.

For a third time, Yukimura fell silent, and all Masamune could do was stare. Never in a million years would he have thought the red-clad warrior leaned _that_ way. It certainly was not uncommon in their time, but _Yukimura?_ His innocent rival just kept surprising him. The sword-wielder had always thought—and he'd grudgingly admit, he'd thought of Yukimura's future more times than he would have liked—that old man Takeda would find a simple, nice bride for his young cub before his time ended. If not the Tiger of Kai, that ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke, would likely find someone—or force someone upon his master. Masamune had also wondered if Yukimura, in his selfless devotion to his beloved Oyakata-sama, the land of Kai, and honing his skills, really would ever settle down, let alone with a woman with his density.

The red-clad warrior snuck a glance at his contemplating rival and took it for the worst. "I-I'm sorry, Masamune-dono!" he cried, burying his head in his hands, mortified. "I know, it is shameless to have such feelings! Shameless, shameless, _shameless_—"

"Whoa, _cool it_," Masamune interrupted quickly, sweatdropping as he leaned over and grabbed Yukimura's arms before the brunette could quite possibly tear out his own hair. Nevertheless, the blue-clad young man felt his lips quirk upwards at the familiar reaction; really, how cute could a guy be?

The young tiger cub stopped at the dragon's touch, brown eyes widening at the grinning face when he realized their proximity. His cheeks reddened again as he shied away and stared at his lap, to his rival's confusion.

A tiny bud of hope sprouted inside the One-Eyed Dragon, but he cut it down as quickly as it had grown. After a confession like that, it was probably hard for Yukimura to look at any man, let alone Masamune, in the eyes. "You told anyone else, _red?_"

The spear-wielder shook his head shamefacedly. "Telling Oyakata-sama such a disgraceful thing is out of the question. I fear he would punish me severely . . . not punishment in the form of beating, but something a thousand times worse, like disowning me! Then I thought about telling Sasuke, but . . . I don't know . . ." Yukimura trailed off. Masamune took that as his cue to start speaking again, but the red-clad warrior suddenly asked, "How do you . . . show someone that you love them, Masamune-dono?"

The effect was instantaneous as the sword-wielder choked. "_Seriously?_" he managed between his coughs, staring at the embarrassed young tiger cub incredulously with his lone grey-blue eye. "You really don't know? About kissing and shit?"

"I know what a kiss is!" Yukimura responded defensively, but he faltered when Masamune continued to stare at him. "W-well, I have _heard_ about it, it's just that . . . I do not know exactly what . . . or _how_ . . ."

If the person sitting beside him had been anyone but Yukimura, Masamune would have been certain he was trying to lead him on. Had the Tiger of Kai taught his cub nothing except fighting skills? Had the cub learned nothing by himself from his experiences in the past twenty or so years? It seemed like the outside world had somehow flown completely over the spear-wielding warrior's head.

"Masamune-dono, could you . . . explain it, possibly?" Yukimura asked timidly, tilting his head like a small child as he met Masamune's still-stunned gaze. "I honestly don't get it . . ."

It was so perfect, yet it smelled so much like a set-up. The One-Eyed Dragon's lone eye looked over his rival—yup, still Yukimura. He glanced around them—no one was around, though for all he knew, that damn ninja could have been eavesdropping the whole time. Masamune could only wonder if the tiger cub was fooling him—which caused another sprig of hope begin to grow inside of him—but what were the chances?

Nevertheless, a devilish grin stretched slowly across the sword-wielder's face. This was a golden opportunity, much too perfect to pass up; the One-Eyed Dragon of Oushuu was not one to reject such a gracious offering from the goddess of luck. "I'll do better than explain—I'll _show_ ya."

"Show . . . me . . . ?" Yukimura echoed, puzzled, before blushing and exclaiming, "I cannot allow you to give me such a special gift so hastily, Masamune-dono! You need to save it for that maiden who you will one day love yourself!"

The blue-clad young man grinned once more. "Ha, if only you knew, Yukimura . . . if only you knew . . ."

"Eh?" The spear-wielder looked even more confused. "Wha—!"

Masamune leaned forward and silenced his rival with his lips. It was awkward, being the first time he had actually kissed someone, but he was only giving Yukimura a demonstration, after all. The red-clad warrior tasted sweet—probably from all that dango he consumed, the dragon guessed. He made sure to draw back after a few moments, despite his mind's protests, so he wouldn't look too suspicious. Even so, Masamune couldn't help running his tongue over his lips afterwards—still sweet.

"Then . . . _that_ was a kiss . . . ?" The tiger cub lightly, curiously touched his lips. "It brought about a most strange sensation . . ."

The One-Eyed Dragon chuckled; that expression was too adorable. "Really . . ."

Yukimura nodded and bowed to the sword-wielder, declaring firmly, "_Arigatou_, Masamune-dono, for your kind demonstration! I am honored to receive such an important gift from you, and I hope to put this vital knowledge to good use!"

Masamune burst into laughter at that—if only his innocent rival realized what he was saying. Put it to good use indeed . . . "Well, since I was nice enough to give you that demonstration, Sanada . . . How about tellin' me who you're gonna throw that _party_ for, _huh?_" Quite a few names were already running through the blue-clad warrior's mind, but one that stuck out was Sarutobi Sasuke. He wouldn't be too surprised if it was him . . . maybe just a bit pissed off.

The spear-wielder opened his mouth to protest before turning red for the umpteenth time. "You _do _have a point . . . I suppose I owe you this much, but . . ."

With a frustrated sigh, the sword-wielder leaned back; this looked like it was going to take a while. Then again, why did he care so much? "Is he close to you?"

"Well . . ." Yukimura looked torn between answering and fleeing before he finally admitted nervously, "I would say he is closer to _you_ than me . . ."

Masamune sat upright immediately at that. Then that meant—it had to be Kojuurou, that bastard! "Is it Kojuurou?!" he blurted out without a second thought, but his irritation melted away into complete bewilderment as the red-clad warrior's eyes widened and he fervently shook his head. "Then who—"

If the sword-wielder wasn't surprised before, then he sure was when his rival made the next move. Courageously yet clumsily, the young tiger cub of Kai closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to the One-Eyed Dragon of Oushuu's.

"The one I love . . ." Yukimura drew back, but only enough so that the pair's lips separated. He looked into Masamune's single eye with all the passion and bravery he displayed on the battlefield as he finally confessed, "It is you, Masamune-dono!"

The One-Eyed Dragon remained dumbstruck for a few more seconds before snapping out of it and chuckling. Who would've thought that Yukimura would be the first to confess?

The spear-wielder took his rival's chuckles as a bad sign and recoiled. "I-I know I am not worthy of you, Masamune-dono, I'm sorry! I just could not keep it to myself any longer; it just seemed to consume my thoughts at all times—"

Yukimura stopped abruptly as Masamune's arm reached out to him and cringed, expecting some sort of slap, but instead, he found an affectionate hand tousling the russet hairs at the top of his head. "Wh-what does this mean . . . ?"

The One-Eyed Dragon chuckled again as the tiger cub spoke his thoughts aloud. "It means . . ." He pulled the younger man into his arms and held the tense body tightly against his. "That I accept your feelings, Yukimura."

"Oh." The cub's eyes widened for a moment, before relaxing in the dragon's embrace. "Then . . . Masamune-dono?"

The aforementioned young man smiled—not one of his cocky or demeaning grins, but a true, loving smile. "Yeah?"

"_Arigatou gozaimasu_."

Masamune chuckled yet again and lifted Yukimura's chin to claim his sweet mouth once again. "You're welcome, Yukimura."

**A/N: Meh, I didn't like how it turned out very much, but oh well :\ Even so, please drop a review to let me know what you thought! :) Until next time~**


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